Rock M Nation: All Posts by Dan KeeganA Blog for Ol' Mizzouhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50319/rmn-fav.png2024-03-26T07:00:00-05:00https://www.rockmnation.com/authors/dan-keegan/rss2024-03-26T07:00:00-05:002024-03-26T07:00:00-05:00Find the Next (Insert Mizzou Football Legend Here)
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<img alt="Jeremy Maclin" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kWjIB6WykpO4RJyoe1kT1xF9yC4=/0x0:640x427/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73233332/ISU07_Maclin.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Sarah Becking</figcaption>
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<p>As an exercise, let’s peruse the Missouri football roster and make comparisons — some sound, some outlandish — of players on this team to recent Missouri Tiger legends.</p> <p id="4AhOcf">As college sports fans, we are always looking to our past to project onto our present and future. </p>
<p id="SVy32d">Perhaps it is because unlike pro fans we have such a short time with the players, that we feel we can extend their time with us with nostalgia. If every quarterback is the next Chase Daniel, if every defensive end is the next Markus Golden, their time with us will never end. And it works the other way, too: as college fans, we are obsessed with recruiting, with potential, with the talented lumps of clay ready to be lovingly molded into All-Americans by our brilliant coaching staff.</p>
<p id="6N3cWS">With that in mind, let’s examine the Missouri football roster and play “(Current player) is the next (Mizzou legend).” Some of these comparisons might seems absurd on face value. Some are comparisons of statistical profiles, some are based on a player’s physical attributes and scouting profile, and others are based on their journeys to this point in their career. </p>
<p id="pjXqDt">These are not necessarily statistical comparisons. (If it were, I would have just created one hellraiser of a running back duo.) It’s more of a fun exercise, designed to remember some fond memories, and align those with current players ready to make their own legacy in Faurot Field.</p>
<p id="6Ak33D"><strong>Marcus Carroll is the next Cody Schrader.</strong></p>
<p id="msL83a">This one is obvious, especially if you watched the spring game. Marcus Carroll just looks like Cody Schrader out there. Short in stature, but with a strong trunk, and a little short-arm pumping action as his strong legs churn down the field. Carroll, like Cody, is a decisive, downhill runner, especially working to the edge in the outside zone scheme. He is also an excellent finisher, getting stronger in the fourth quarter of his games at Georgia State, like how Cody used to put seemingly every Mizzou win on ice with a fourth quarter touchdown. Lastly, Carroll’s story is not as extreme as Cody’s, but it is still in the same genre: undersized, overlooked talent who worked his tail off to get an opportunity in the SEC.</p>
<p id="MH6ak8"><strong>Nate Noel is the next Henry Josey.</strong></p>
<p id="FzCrps">This is what I mean by “not every comparison is a statistical 1-to-1 projection.” Henry Josey ran for 1,168 yards as a sophomore in 2011 before a catastrophic knee injury cost him a season. Exactly ten years later, Nate Noel rushed for 1,128 yards as a sophomore, before a series of nagging injuries – nothing like Josey’s – cost him much of the next two seasons. Josey capped his time in Columbia with an emotional season; his big play rushing was a critical factor for the success of the 2013 team. If Noel can stay healthy, he is in line for a similar victory lap as the explosive rusher on this team.</p>
<p id="fpm5wu"><strong>Chris McClellan is the next Ty’Ron Hopper.</strong></p>
<p id="DoygG7">Like Ty’Ron Hopper before him, Chris McClellan is a former Florida Gator ready to step into a starting role on defense and make an immediate big impact. Hopper was working his way onto the field in Gainesville before transferring to Mizzou for his breakout, and the script here says McClellan is in line to do the same. Ty’Ron Hopper’s time at Florida? 546 total snaps, 60.9 PFF grade in his sophomore season. Chris McClellan’s time at Florida? 564 snaps, 63.9 PFF grade in his sophomore season.</p>
<p id="CcLuX1"><strong>Luther Burden is the next Jeremy Maclin.</strong></p>
<p id="BfBqkv">In Jeremy Maclin’s second year on campus, the blue-chipper from St Louis caught 80 passes for 1,055 yards and nine touchdowns. In Luther Burden’s second year at Missouri, the blue-chipper from St Louis caught 86 passes for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns. Maclin followed it up with a Biletnikoff finalist season and an entering the NFL draft as an underclassmen, where he went in the first round. Both of those accomplishments seem likely for Burden entering the 2024 season. </p>
<p id="VrAdAq">The comparisons are pretty close, but not perfect – Burden played as a true freshman; Maclin redshirted while rehabbing a torn ACL. Maclin contributed more with rush plays and as a dynamic returner; Burden has a delicious line of potato chips. Jeremy Maclin is arguably the best modern football player at Missouri – it’s him or Justin Smith – and Luther has a chance to challenge for the title.</p>
<p id="GCdjPi"><strong>Armand Membou is the next Justin Britt.</strong> </p>
<p id="QQbA5G">Armand Membou has followed a similar path to Justin Britt. Both originally worked onto the field as a youngster at one position – Britt at guard, Membou as an extra inline blocker – before shifting into a starting tackle role as a sophomore. Britt anchored some excellent lines at Missouri, and the plan is for Membou to do the same. Britt shifted into the interior positions in the NFL where he played a decade, and most evaluators believe the same move inside is in Membou’s future on Sundays. Plus, both gained notoriety as a key figure in a major scrap: Britt for getting into it with Aaron Donald while with the Seahawks, and Membou for taking on practically the entire Arkansas defense during the Thanksgiving weekend game on CBS. </p>
<p id="mgXMu9"><strong>Darris Smith is the next Shane Ray. </strong></p>
<p id="Il98aT">This one is actually an attribute comparison, and not a journey comparison. Both are lanky, speed-based edge rushers; Smith is listed at 6’5”, 240 pounds; Ray at 6’3”, 245. Ray got a cup of coffee in 2012 but emerged as a sophomore in the 2013 season: 27 tackles, 9 TFL, 4.5 sacks. Of course, he was playing third fiddle on the edge that season, with veterans Kony Ealy and Markus Golden heading up the rotation. That statline would be perfectly acceptable this season from Smith, with Johnny Walker, Jr taking up most of the attention, and more experienced veterans Zion Young and Joe Moore also checking in on the depth chart.</p>
<p id="Rm8gFr"><strong>Brett Norfleet is the next Martin Rucker. </strong></p>
<p id="OfoWuN">I know the comparison you want for Norfleet is Chase Coffman, as it’s just too easy to compare the redheaded pass-catching tight ends from an exurb of Missouri’s biggest cities, one from each side of the state. It became even more tempting after Norfleet’s Coffman-esque hurdle over a Florida defender. But as easy it is to make the comparison, it is also kind of lazy: Norfleet’s 18 catches for 197 yards do not come close to Coffman’s 47 for 503 as a freshman. Norfleet was a nice player as a freshman; Coffman was a revelation. Norfleet’s rookie line almost exactly mirrors Tee Rucker’s, and he could be in line to follow up Rucker’s sophomore stats: 47 catches for 567. </p>
https://www.rockmnation.com/2024/3/26/24112069/2024-missouri-football-find-the-next-insert-legend-hereDan Keegan2024-03-19T11:00:00-05:002024-03-19T11:00:00-05:00A Fan’s Notes: Black vs Gold
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<img alt="a photo of brady cook dropping back to pass" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ERZPOKuxxMvpIYpEG2jPdjhcsps=/0x0:4133x2755/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73217946/0452_03162024_SpringGame_1H.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation</figcaption>
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<p><em>Notes, thoughts, and observations from halfway across the country on the Tigers proving they belong.</em></p> <p id="akffdP">The spring game is a chance for a football program to showcase itself as a whole; one would be rash to take away too much from individual performances in a controlled, intra-squad scrimmage six months before actual competition starts. </p>
<p id="THcaDN">Occasionally you glimpse proof of a prior belief. For instance, both Caleb Downs at Alabama last season, and Luther Burden in spring 2022, showed that they could play immediately as true freshmen. You would not extrapolate too much regarding statistical projection, but sometimes it is nice to see that guys you believed could play at this level obviously could.</p>
<p id="l4eZJb">So with that in mind, I am going to say that a hot take theory that had been stewing in my head all spring is finally worth confirming. I am officially calling my long-distance shot on these electronic pages: if Nate Noel plays in 12 games this season, he is going to finish Top 5 in the SEC in rushing.</p>
<p id="CHLLeR">I have written in a few pieces for this site about how high I am on his potential, and I will continue to do so all summer. He has been one of the most explosive, talented backs in the country since 2020, but he has often had to deal with nagging injuries. He is experienced and capable in the zone running scheme Missouri leans on.</p>
<p id="CqCXIP">Yes, Missouri also has Marcus Carroll, who is a really nice player and a good pickup for the Tigers. Carrol is a good finisher like Schrader and an efficiency monster, also like Cody. But Noel is just a notch above as a talent. Noel forced his way onto the field as a freshman at a better program; Carroll waited four years and had to wait for guys like Tucker Gregg and Jamyest Williams to clear out before getting a full-time chance.</p>
<p id="5MgIPp">None of this is to knock Carroll. He was an awesome pickup, and like Noel, a talented zone runner. He is a veteran who worked hard for his opportunity, and a perfect thunder in the proverbial pairing.</p>
<p id="BebTXJ">But I’m betting on lightning.</p>
<ul><li id="4BY3ae">Speaking of the running game, this year’s spring game format was a changeup from the normal recipe. Because there was no tackling allowed, it was basically a glorified 7-on-7 passing camp kind of day.. Linebackers and run blocking were basically a nothingburger. </li></ul>
<p id="C6ZZWu">A typical spring game with tackling means the opposite: you do not try to do anything risky with guys in space, where you could see gang tackling, spears, or non-contact injuries on cuts. Spring games usually just want good clean vanilla rush plays, with safe tackles made between the hashes, and so you end up with a lot of inflated rushing stats for running backs. (Watch what happens around the rest of the country these coming weeks.)</p>
<p id="wec2tA">For Mizzou’s format, it was the opposite, so basically a passing drill day; this format showcased the cornerbacks, wide receivers, and edge rushers. In particular, I was very encouraged with the secondary. They are replacing a world of talent. Toriano Pride had a tremendous interception and Marcus Clarke’s breakup of a jumpball to Theo Wease – one of the best jumpball catchers in the country – was one of the best plays of the day. </p>
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<li id="ydW48b">While watching the broadcast from my couch, I paid extra attention to the JOKER position, the new Swiss-army style of player that so play on the boundary edge. Johhnie Walker and Dannis Smith played there the most to my unscientific calculation. Not taking much away from what we saw – or what we didn’t see. The JOKER saw plenty of wide-9 technique rushing the passer, and even a stunt, which was surprising to see in a setting like this. We’ll probably have to wait until August 31st – or maybe even later – to really make judgements about this position.</li>
<li id="bOJcTZ">Marcus Carroll just LOOKS like Cody Schrader, doesn’t he? Similar stature, similar build, the decisiveness on the outside zone, and the short pumping arm action as he runs. Can’t wait to see his tough running in live football.</li>
<li id="pFHpWE">I really enjoyed listening to Jeremy Maclin on the sideline get interviewed. In his role as a high school head coach, he stays plugged in and really knows the team, even talking up Speedy Johnson.</li>
<li id="Eh0qfc">The kicking game looks settled, doesn’t it? Both of Quadrini’s FG attempts were bad, one missed and the other went through barely on a line drive. Blake Craig looked the part. We were spoiled with Thiccer, so a drop off would not be surprising, but this position battle looks settled.</li>
<li id="aYJwS4">The Halftime show was an NFL-films style production about the Tennessee game and it was tremendous. Very emotional win and I enjoyed reliving that from my couch.</li>
<li id="Xdbu8u">Eli Drinkwitz sure looked like he was having a blast moderating the game, didn’t he? It is interesting how the spring game has evolved under his watch. Typically it is a fan-forward event showcasing your starters against your backups in something that looks like real football. Drink has made changes to the game that prioritizes building a winner. Look at the draft format, and the social media content that was released: incredible event for team culture and leadership. Look at the early date of the event: manipulating the calendar to give the staff time to re-recruit the team, scout the transfer portal, and augment the roster to prepare for fall. </li>
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https://www.rockmnation.com/2024/3/19/24105370/missouri-spring-football-game-black-vs-gold-fans-notesDan Keegan2024-03-12T07:00:00-05:002024-03-12T07:00:00-05:00Three by Three: Spring Football Around the Country
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<img alt="COLLEGE FOOTBALL: DEC 29 Goodyear Cotton Bowl - Missouri vs Ohio State" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IjU5nWOeunQRFphqrcfN3tAMIuo=/0x0:1500x1000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73200455/1905673552.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p><em>Presenting the 3x3, sharing three things to watch each in for Missouri football, in the SEC, and around the CFB nation at large during spring football practice season.</em> </p> <p id="5h4myC">Welcome to the spring football 3x3! Allow me to be your college football sherpa, guiding you through the intrigue of the sport. I will try to avoid just covering the big obvious stuff, but sometimes Ohio State IS the most interesting thing, you know? </p>
<p id="rnkZjV">With spring football getting underway at most places around the country — and of course, about to wrap up in Columbia — let’s look at three interesting storylines each from the Missouri program, in the SEC, and around the nation. Let’s get to it.</p>
<h2 id="gtcuVw">Mizzou</h2>
<p id="697b3d"><strong>Defensive stars</strong></p>
<p id="rdFktR">My #1 concern for the 2024 season – and thus, the thing that captures my attention the most when reading practice reports – is how will Mizzou replace its departed defensive stars in the upcoming season. High-level, NFL-bound talent anchored Blake Baker’s unit at every level: Darius Robinson and Ty’Ron Hopper in the box, Kris Abrams-Draine, Ennis Rakestraw, and Jaylon Carlies in the secondary. The Tigers will need to replace all of their snaps but also all of their high level play. It isn’t enough to get solid production, or boom-or-bust play – they need all-conference caliber performance.</p>
<p id="nWVtEr">Clemson transfer Toriano Pride has the recruiting pedigree to deliver that level of play at cornerback, and his running mate Dreyden Norwood has been receiving a lot of early praise in spring camp this year. Another darling of camp has been Darris Smith, the former blue chip recruit from Georgia. Smith certainly has the athletic profile: he was a favorite of Georgia writers and reporters to break out last season in Athens, before he stepped away from the team. My pick to elevate their game to a new level and fill that stardom void is safety Daylan Carnell; his nose for the ball and explosive traits will be deployed aggressively by new coordinator Corey Batoon.</p>
<p id="p8ffiV"><strong>Right Guard</strong></p>
<p id="6H9XL0">Unlike the defense, the right guard position doesn’t necessarily <em>need</em> an all-conference type of performer to emerge – the surrounding talent has that covered. This is the biggest hole on the offensive line after returning starter Cam’Ron Johnson flipped over to left guard, the position he played at Houston. Mizzou fans should be excited that Logan Reichert, the massive youngster who goes by “The Big Ticket,” has been getting an extended look at the position. With four veterans locked in, I like that the staff is letting the high-upside youngster compete. I’ll be watching his play on Saturday during the Black & Gold game.</p>
<p id="sOlF4z"><strong>The Joker</strong></p>
<p id="blhwa6">Batoon will be keeping many of the same elements of the defense Blake Baker ran; the 4-2-5 with a nickel overhang now permeates throughout college football. But Batoon and new EDGE coach Brian Early will be introducing a new wrinkle, situationally using the boundary defensive end as a more hybrid player called the Joker. (Early offered the basics of the Joker role in a press conference, <a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/2024/3/5/24091385/what-mizzou-footballs-trench-coaches-had-to-say-tuesday-march-5th">as recorded by our man Jaden Lewis.) </a>The Joker will have a lot of responsibilities, sealing the edge for counter and backside runs, as well as standing up and playing in coverage, rushing the passer from the traditional edge position, and looping inside for stunts and interior pass rush. The aforementioned Darris Smith is an easy fit for this role, with his Hopper-esque sideline to sideline speed. But Batoon has also mentioned Johnny Walker Jr as first up for Joker. I’m interested to get a glimpse of this position in the spring game, and follow along how it affects the defensive line depth chart heading into the fall. </p>
<h2 id="aLROHT">In the SEC</h2>
<p id="aSF3Xv"><strong>LSU Overhaul</strong></p>
<p id="sOHTm9">Brian Kelly has had an eventful two years in Baton Rouge. He’s had a decades worth of chaos in 24 months: viral speeches, incredible wins, disappointing losses, Heisman quarterback, All-American seasons, overperformance, underperformance. This offseason saw an overhaul of the coaching staff and another portal haul. Will Blake Baker unleash Harold Perkins again? Will the offense still be good despite losing coordinator Mike Denbrock and basically every important member of the pass game? Will it matter with their stud tackles back? Is Garrett Nussmeier ready – we’ve heard so much about his potential for years now. It feels like everyone wins at least one title at this program; BK has set himself up to follow that tradition or break the streak with an all-or-nothing offseason.</p>
<p id="tLeFCu"><strong>Arkansas bailout</strong></p>
<p id="wX0HSf">Brian Kelly switched up his staff to find the program’s inherit championship potential; Arkansas’s Sam Pittman did the same this offseason, but in order to keep his job. After three seasons of coordinator stability in Fayetville, Pittman bombed his second staff by handing over the reins of his offense to Dan Enos, which turned out to be a tremendous mistake. Another Hog reunion is in the works for 2024, as the prodigal biker Bobby Petrino returns to town to call plays. This could work like a charm and save Pittman’s job, or be a total car wreck. There is no in-between.</p>
<p id="87WDdD"><strong>Will the Real Tennessee Please Stand Up</strong></p>
<p id="BaND4G">Tennessee’s offense was a run-away freight train in 2022 thanks to the diabolical precision of Hendon Hooker, then slammed on the brakes last season as Joe Milton’s inconsistency and poor decision-making ground everything to a halt. Now it’s up to all-galaxy recruit Nico Iamaleava to pilot Josh Heupel’s veer and shoot scheme. Will the big-armed youngster restore the glory of the Hooker years? Or will his inexperience sink this ship? Do I have any more vehicle similies for this team in me? We have seen a few glimpses of Nico so far, but I’ll watching with earnest as he gets his first extended chance to take command of the vessel.</p>
<h2 id="J5PHEe">Around the Nation</h2>
<p id="6fj2vB"><strong>Ohio State’s Offense</strong></p>
<p id="TqvGZd">I was fascinated by Ryan Day’s roster maneuvers when he was buying the groceries and Bill O’Brien would be cooking the meal. Now that Chip Kelly is donning the chef’s hat, I’m truly excited for what this offense could be. Running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins are two of the most talented runners in the country, and now they will be deployed by one of the most maniacal run game designers in the game. A capable veteran quarterback in Will Howard – who is also a worthwhile +1 in the run game – and the usual fleet of Ferrari flankers means this is one loaded recipe. </p>
<p id="Y9FjeH"><strong>Runaway Hype Trains</strong></p>
<p id="KVs3fB">Which teams will garner runaway freight trains of hype heading into the 2024 season? Sometimes the collective wisdom is right, and everyone can see the breakout coming a mile away – like Florida State last year. Sometimes the comet never arrives, like any time NC State is favored to do well. Were Missouri, Arizona, and Oklahoma State one-year flashes in the pan? The Rebs’ transfer class and Lane Kiffin’s status as the most Online ball coach will keep them at the forefront of every trendy pick list this summer. Virginia Tech, Miami, Kansas, and Kentucky are getting early looks for their offseason tinkering, and Texas A&M will soon gather enough hype to defend their twentieth straight offseason champions crown. Some of these programs have some meat on the bone and could be in line for a special season, but it’s important during spring to take stock to truly separate the sizzle from the steak. </p>
<p id="TLTBuR"><strong>Young Quarterbacks</strong></p>
<p id="POYl2f">For the first time in a while, it doesn’t feel like the top of the quarterback echelon is that untouchable. I guess the top tier is Carson Beck, Quinn Ewers, and Jaxson Dart….is that truly special? Certainly not like recent Williams/Maye or Young/Stroud groups. A number of former blue chip recruits are getting their shots this spring, and we will get an early glimpse if talents like Iamaleava, Oklahoma’s Jackson Arnold, Michigan State’s Aidan Chiles, Boise’s Malachi Nelson, etc are ready to grasp the moment. </p>
https://www.rockmnation.com/2024/3/12/24098096/three-by-three-missouri-sec-cfb-spring-footballDan Keegan2024-03-05T08:01:03-06:002024-03-05T08:01:03-06:00Who is Mizzou’s Third Best Football Player?
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<img alt="COLLEGE FOOTBALL: DEC 29 Goodyear Cotton Bowl - Missouri vs Ohio State" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/S7BKMlaD-iUp51J9bkup3K-Pfbc=/0x0:4288x2859/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73183417/1903204565.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="VXQ8qI">You know who the two best Missouri football layers are ahead of the 2024 season. Luther Burden is living up to his potential as one of the best players in college football. And Brady Cook has developed into a star, a steadying leader and gritty player who also plays a damn fine quarterback.</p>
<p id="HqzEmZ">But what about the third best player? Is it a box score stuffer like Marcus Carroll, who rushed for 1,350 yards at Georgia State last year? Maybe a veteran like Kristian Williams or Theo Wease? Perhaps Cayden Green, with his prodigious recruiting pedigree, coveted transfer status, and NFL prospects is your choice. Not to mention all the young breakout candidates that abound.</p>
<p id="ha0bPF">While it might be too early in the calendar year to definitively declare one player Missouri’s third best, there are no shortages of candidates to help replace the horde of departed NFL draftees. It’s a good problem to have such a deep pool of quality players; hopefully some are ready to step up and be great players, like Schrader, Robinson, Foster, and the cornerback tandem.</p>
<p id="R6tOZL">.Let’s take a look at who could cement their status this fall as a BMOC. We will run down ten possibilities, grouped by similarity.</p>
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<h2 id="KWY2XD">Offensive Veterans</h2>
<p id="S70Lck"><strong>Theo Wease, Wide Receiver –</strong> After an up-and-down three years in Norman, Wease put together a productive full season in Columbia, where his skills on the outside opened things up beautifully for Luther Burden in the slot. Wease should improve on his 682 yards and six touchdowns, while bringing invaluable veteran leadership. </p>
<p id="1CEfyC"><strong>Armand Membou, Right Tackle –</strong> The first in the Lee’s Summit parade started every game at right tackle last fall, posting six games over an 80 in PFF’s pass block grading. He should only continue to improve as a second-year starter as he continues to mature. Membou has caught some attention nationally for his impressive athleticism and powerful blocking; he is a favorite of ESPN analyst and former Auburn lineman Cole Cubelic. </p>
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<h2 id="Gcq0yB">Defensive Mainstays</h2>
<p id="DZ2K7C"><strong>Johnny Walker Jr, EDGE</strong> – He seized the most of his opportunities last year, totalling eight sacks and winning Cotton Bowl defensive MVP. However he also flashed a temper, getting ejected from one game and a personal foul in another. Robinson was relentless off the edge last season, and Walker, if he takes another step forward, could become that game-changing presence. Robinson was a magnet and opened things up for Walker – it’s time for him to pay it forward. </p>
<p id="67KRFC"><strong>Kristian Williams, Interior –</strong> A defensive tackle is never going to garner the box score numbers and fan attention reserved for the skill position players, but a dominant force on the interior is arguably one of the most important players in modern college football. Williams has been good, not great – let alone dominant – in his two years at Mizzou; a final-season surge at one of the most important positions in the sport could do wonders for Mizzou’s defense. </p>
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<h2 id="fCPnvs">Transfers</h2>
<p id="fQgtXC"><strong>Cayden Green, Left Tackle – </strong>The former blue-chipper is the most obvious choice on paper. He was a four-star recruit out of high school and the most coveted tackle in the transfer portal until Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor hopped in. Green started at left guard for the Sooners, and struggled mightily in run blocking, according to PFF grading. He will slide over to the all-important left tackle position, and is in line to be a rock for Mizzou in the near future.</p>
<p id="yhYnjJ"><strong>Toriano Pride, Cornerback – </strong>This one is a leap of faith. Likewise a former blue-chip recruit, Pride fell out of the rotation in Clemson as some extremely talented freshmen emerged down the stretch. Mizzou has done a great job developing cornerbacks in recent years, and a change of scenery could be just what the St. Louis native needs to revitalize his career. Can he fill Kris Abrams-Draine’s enormous shoes? </p>
<p id="AmvKlI"><strong>Marcus Carroll/Nate Noel, Running Backs –</strong> For now, I’m just going to take these guys as a pair in articles like these. Both are fifth year players from the Sun Belt East division with extensive experience in a zone-blocking scheme like the one Eli Drinkwitz favors. The similes end there, as Carroll burst onto the scene last year as a workhorse once he got a clear depth chart ahead of him, and is a small, bruising, efficient runner and an excellent closer – sound familiar? Noel’s explosive rushes made him a star in Boone since he stepped foot on campus in 2020…..when he was healthy. If I had to pick one to become Mizzou’s third best player, it would be Noel, because that would mean true game-breaking ability from the Tigers’ lead back.</p>
<h2 id="9H7wyD">Leap Candidates</h2>
<p id="FeUkgn"><strong>Daylan Carnell, STAR –</strong> Is there a more literal position name than where Carnell lines up? The rangy defensive back has a nose for the ball, and his playmaking has him destined for stardom in Columbia. While Martez Manuel mostly thrived at the position near the line of scrimmage and in pass rush support, Carnell was used as a swiss army knife last fall – a role that made Yam Banks one of the best players in the country in Corey Batoon’s South Alabama defense. Carnell could follow in Banks’ footsteps, and build on his Cotton Bowl performance, where he was a royal terror. </p>
<p id="Wd0Eta"><strong>Tristan Newson, Linebacker –</strong> Newson was the talk of 2023 spring ball thanks to his sideline-to-sideline play and havoc creation. But he barely played in the early fall; he got his chances late in the season when Ty’Ron Hopper missed time with injury. Newson stepped in to stuff the stat sheet – and runners behind the line of scrimmage. He plays a position and a style that will generate an impressive stat line and will catch the eyes of even the most casual of viewers.</p>
<p id="hl840G"><strong>Connor Tollison, Center – </strong>Okay, hear me out. Brady Cook has evolved from a fanbase punching bag into a beloved pizza pitchman, and Tollison is ready for the same. Once the face of the struggles of the 2022 offensive line, and a frustrating source of penalties and misnaps in 2023, he actually developed into a really good run blocker last fall. Another leap in play like last season – say, clean up the snap snafus, and improve in pass protection – and Tollison could become one of the best interior linemen in the SEC in 2024. Only a junior and with 26 career starts under his belt, that kind of emergence is not unheard for a former highly-regarded recruit. </p>
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<p id="QDQmq4">Missouri has two bona fide college football superstars headlining their 2024 campaign. Luther Burden will be one of the faces of the sport this fall. There are a host of possibilities to join them as stars for the Tigers – who is your pick? </p>
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https://www.rockmnation.com/2024/3/5/24090851/who-is-mizzou-football-third-best-player-2024-seasonDan Keegan2024-02-28T09:00:00-06:002024-02-28T09:00:00-06:00Get to Know Mizzou Football’s Eight Early Enrollees
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<img alt="COLLEGE FOOTBALL: SEP 09 Middle Tennessee at Missouri" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/UMo93SR57HBNO2OP1WgE5nJIkjo=/0x0:5632x3755/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73170301/1668661219.0.jpg" />
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<p>Spring practice is underway for Eli Drinkwitz’s ball club, and eight players from his heralded 2024 recruiting have already joined up. What can we predict about this group and their likelihood of making an impact in 2024? </p> <p id="dxbWhd">Spring practice kicked off this week in Columbia, with eight players from Mizzou’s 2024 recruiting class joining for the early session. These mid-year enrollees arrive early to begin their studies of college playbooks and film, and begin transforming their bodies with access to college dining and athletic facilities. </p>
<p id="irZIDT">But they will also get an early shot to impress the coaches and compete for playing time in the upcoming campaign. The 2024 recruit most likely to play significant snaps this season is all-galaxy defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri, who will arrive in the summer, but can we expect these eight players to force Eli Drinkwitz and his staff to get them onto the field this fall?</p>
<p id="W09GTC">Let’s run down these players and what kind of position competition each one finds themselves in, even if most true freshmen are long shots to play meaningful action. Their road to future glory as Mizzou Tigers begins this week. </p>
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<p id="irXfIH"><strong>Quarterback Aidan Glover</strong></p>
<p id="FLakGc">No player on the roster saw his standing change more this offseason than Aidan Glover. He would have anticipated arriving to campus as fifth in the pecking order: behind starter Brady Cook and all of his more established understudies. But then the jetsetting Jake Garcia departed for East Carolina, and Gabarri Johnson, presumably homesick, returned to the Pacific Northwest. Then Sam Horn underwent Tommy John surgery, and suddenly Glover finds himself a sneeze away from the top of the quarterback depth chart for an SEC school while he should be preparing for his senior prom. </p>
<p id="IgFnOM">That will almost certainly change in the summer. While Glover has physical tools, he is still raw as a passer, and Missouri will need to bolster the depth chart with a more experienced backup before entering the 2024 season. But it’s exciting for Glover that he gets such a welcome surprise for his first taste of college ball – even if his prospects are still long-term for now. </p>
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<p id="DMNj2h"><strong>Linebacker Brian Huff</strong></p>
<p id="JF6ZLi">Huff, the four star linebacker out of Arkansas, enters an interesting position room. Veterans Triston Newson and Chuck Hicks return; the elderly Hicks is an excellent leader and a warrior but often looked overmatched athletically in the SEC last season. Newson heated up when the weather turned cold down the stretch, and he is one of the breakout candidates for the 2024 season. Transfers Corey Flagg from Miami and – <em>maybe? </em>– Darris Smith from Georgia also join the mix, although Smith might be more of a defensive end in Columbia. </p>
<p id="crWigz">How many snaps are up for grabs at linebacker depends on a few questions. Will Smith stand up or put his hand in the dirt? Defensive coordinator Corey Batoon will run a base 4-2-5 nickel overhang scheme; will he also run more 3-3-5 looks, something he did at South Alabama, and something that might make sense with this roster? Can the more physically gifted youngsters surpass Hicks, despite his experience and leadership advantages? </p>
<p id="TEaaRV">Ultimately, I think Batoon will deploy more three-linebacker looks, but I think Flagg will be the one to usurp Hicks’ snaps, leaving Huff in a competition for great things in 2025 when Hicks and Flagg both move on. </p>
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<p id="nKG723"><strong>Offensive Linemen Talan Chandler, Ryan Jostes, Caleb Pryfrom, Jayven Richardson </strong></p>
<p id="nRjaXi">Let’s handle the offensive lineman as a group. While coaches pay lip service to competition in spring ball, we have a good sense of four of the five roles: Connor Tollison is back at center and will be flanked by Cam’Ron Johnson on his right. Armand Membou and Cayden Green will hold down the tackle positions – Lee’s Summit represent. That leaves a position battle at left guard and for the backup roles. While the Tigers were perfectly healthy up front during the 2023 season, there is no guarantee of a repeat, and the youngsters should prepare in case they are pressed into service by injury, even if a starting spot on paper is mostly out of reach.</p>
<p id="2VxN1o">Three of the four linemen in this class arrive as tackles. Jostes and Pyfrom are both three-star recruits. It is good they are arriving early to begin their careers in college with weight training, film study, etc, but playing time as a true freshman tackle in the Power Four usually belongs to five-star freaks like Kelvin Banks and Kadyn Proctor. Enjoy the food and the weights, big fellas, we will see you this time next year. </p>
<p id="3E8oN4">Jayven Richardson is an intriguing option; he is a massive human being and one of the most highly regarded JUCO prospects in the country. I doubt he presses either Green or Membou as starters, but I will be paying attention to how the staff talks about his spring performance, to judge my confidence level if any injuries strike during the season.</p>
<p id="gX0g54">Lastly, Talan Chandler arrives to compete for an interior spot after initially committing to Coach Prime and then flipping to his home state school. Again, true freshman offensive linemen are rare birds these days, but Chandler should be part of the open competition at left guard, where his main competition would appear to be fifth-year junior Mitchell Walters and the big man Logan Reichert. </p>
<p id="jKZxF4"><strong>Defensive backs Cameron Keys and Trajen Greco </strong></p>
<p id="CzzpfD">Right off the bat I think Keys and Greco are the two mostly likely true freshmen of the mid-year enrollees to not redshirt in 2024. A LOT of snaps depart in the secondary from last season’s team, and the staff has shown a willingness to play freshman in the defensive backfield. </p>
<p id="2KunBi">Keys profiles as a natural cover corner, even if he will predictably lack some physicality as a rookie. Greco is listed as both a safety and a cornerback, depending on the recruiting service; MU’s official roster lists both as “defensive backs.” </p>
<p id="cKimHf">The depth chart in the secondary is both crowded and wide open. Daylan Carnell at STAR and Joseph Charleston would both seem to have safety spots locked up, and Toriano Pride and Dreyden Norwood have the inside track at the outside spots. But players young (Jamarion Wayne, Shamar McNeil, Philip Roche) and old (Sydney Williams, Marcus Clarke, Tre’Vez Johnson) are all in the mix as well. </p>
<p id="bj1FrB">There are plenty of options here, but few stone-cold locks, and Greco and Keys could force their way into playing time. Greco also returned punts in high school, a specialist role that could be open to protect Luther Burden and with the steady Kris Abrams-Draine off to the NFL. </p>
<p id="R2e06t">Ultimately, this staff has shown a preference for playing veterans over youngsters, although a few players have been too talented to ignore. I am not sure any of these mid-year enrollees will play large parts on the 2024 Tigers, but they could play themselves into rotational roles and mop-up duty. Missouri fans should be excited to watch this group begin their careers in black and gold in the coming weeks. </p>
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https://www.rockmnation.com/2024/2/28/24085245/missouri-tigers-eli-drinkwitz-get-to-know-mizzou-footballs-eight-early-enrolleesDan Keegan2024-02-22T07:00:00-06:002024-02-22T07:00:00-06:00Spring Football Topics for Mizzou in 2024
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<img alt="NCAA Football: Cotton Bowl-Missouri at Ohio State" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/win-L-_EBK_2H9_eJnt01InU9Zw=/54x0:2307x1502/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73156238/usa_today_22193508.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>With spring practice about to begin in Columbia, let’s take a look at some of the topics that will shape the 2024 campaign.</p> <p id="fhahfO">Spring football practice kicks off soon in Columbia, Missouri, with the spring game scheduled for Saturday, March 16th, the ceremonial end to the preseason practice session. </p>
<p id="HeW60z">This year’s camp will have much less existential crisis than previous seasons – one year ago we were dreading an injury-riddled quarterback competition and measuring what it would take to heat up Eli Drinkwtiz’s seat. But as the ground begins to thaw in Mid-Missouri, the only burning this year will not be from the head man’s job status, but the afterglow of the triumphant 2023 season. </p>
<p id="8IyZcS">Some big-picture storylines will loom over Mizzou football’s 2024 season. This is the first year of the expanded, division-free SEC. There are infusions of cash for both NIL and stadium expansions. The program will be moving on from the exciting Desiree Reed-Francois era, and the loss of the guy who made the Mini Movies.</p>
<p id="e68WBd">But on a more nitty-gritty football level, some storylines and position battles will capture our attention during spring ball, and set the tone for fall camp and the 2024 season. Let’s take a look at some of the discussions and competitions that will shape the program for the upcoming campaign. </p>
<h2 id="QO32pU"><strong>1. Front Seven Rotation</strong></h2>
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<img alt="COLLEGE FOOTBALL: DEC 29 Goodyear Cotton Bowl - Missouri vs Ohio State" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dJ7NXSSQ4RGD6hxiF4d4fgSpqHY=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25294976/1905673530.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="xeHrW2">Without a doubt, this is the biggest depth chart concern for the upcoming season. Not only is the team replacing stars in DE Darius Robinson and LB Ty’Ron Hopper, but also contributors in DTs Jayden Jernigan, Realus George, and Josh Landry, end Nyles Gaddy, and LB Chad Bailey, while also welcoming in a new defensive coordinator and a new position coach. Mizzou’s front seven is going to look wildly different in 2024, with five impact transfers enrolled for spring and breakout candidates galore. </p>
<p id="eoM7eM">What will we learn in practice? New defensive coordinator Corey Batoon ran both a 4-2-5 and a 3-3-5 at South Alabama, and it will be interesting to see how rotations shake out with versatile veterans finding their roles on the team. Defensive tackle Chris McClellan played two-thirds of his snaps at Florida last season as a three-tech and a third in a five-tech alignment. Georgia transfer Darris Smith played mostly in mop-up duty as an edge rusher for the Dawgs, but has the athletic pedigree to play linebacker, and was even used in slot coverage in Athens. Other transfers are likely locked in at the positions where they have seen the most playing time, with Sterling Webb (three-tech), Zion Young (end), and Corey Flagg (middle linebacker) all factoring into the lineup.</p>
<p id="c1WdKF">Beyond transfer usage, it will also be interesting to see how the returnees shake out. Talented youngsters like Jalen Marshall, Marquis Gracial, Brayshawn Littlejohn and more will have the opportunities to emerge. Outside linebacker Triston Newson was the star of last year’s spring session, and is ready to build on his productive end of the season. Will this year’s spring breakout candidates live up to the hype, or are they just placeholders until all-galaxy recruit Williams Nwaneri shows up in the summer? </p>
<h2 id="ua691R"><strong>2. Who Steps Up In The Secondary?</strong></h2>
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<img alt="Goodyear Cotton Bowl - Missouri v Ohio State" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WZ3EQUjiq7N8qxubmJ13qsjLoZQ=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25294974/1898799647.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="73LN6X">Much like the defensive front, Mizzou will be replacing a swath of starters that are heading off to the NFL draft. Some positions will be locked in: Clemson transfer Toriano Pride is projected to start at cornerback, and Joseph Charleston and Daylan Carnell* will continue to hold down the safety and STAR (nickel) positions, respectively. But players new and old will need to step up this season, and the road to cementing a starting role begins in the spring. Will youngsters like Marvin Burks and Philip Roche see their roles expand? How will rotational veterans like Tre’Vez Johnson, Sidney Williams, Marcus Clarke, and Dreyden Norwood perform shouldering a starter workload? </p>
<p id="DPTiZ6"><em>*I would like to go on record now – I will write this again probably twenty times on these electronic pages between now and Labor Day – that Daylan Carnell will become a full-fledged star in 2024. Yam Banks became one of the biggest names in the Sun Belt playing the nickel role in Corey Batoon’s South Alabama defense, utilizing his high school center fielder history to become one of the best ballhawks in the country. Carnell has that same nose for playmaking, and is ready to become a household name. Buy your stock now.</em></p>
<h2 id="9hbDAe"><strong>3. Young Running Backs</strong></h2>
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<img alt="COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NOV 25 Arkansas at Missouri" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wXtkLie4jdybyD9ZuFrzpuQ7odo=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25294979/1245169958.jpg">
<cite>Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="57x20B">Replacing Cody Schrader’s historic production will not be easy, but we have a pretty good sense of what Sun Belt transfers Marcus Carroll (Georgia State) and Nathan Noel (Appalachian State) can provide. Carroll is a workhorse, an efficiency monster in the Schrader mold, and Noel is greased lightning, one of the best big-play backs in the country when healthy. But will either of Mizzou’s two young unproven former four-star recruits show enough to challenge the old heads in the fall? Neither Tavorus Jones nor Jamal Roberts have had many chances to show their stuff on the field as Tigers, and with another heralded recruit Kewan Lacey joining the fold in the summer, it’s “put up” time for this pair.</p>
<h2 id="oIbDrw"><strong>4. Luther’s Launch</strong></h2>
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<img alt="Goodyear Cotton Bowl - Missouri v Ohio State" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xKIhyHCiJ26XpXt1XuSTQTfRxRs=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25294980/1893803623.jpg">
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<p id="eAjudm">I am so excited for this offseason of hype for superstar wide receiver Luther Burden, which will catch fire in the spring as the tracks are laid to the 2024 campaign. Burden is perhaps the most meaningful recruit in Mizzou football history, and after getting his feet wet in 2022, his production matched the prep school hype in 2023. Now, it is time for superstardom. Luther’s spring and summer will be full of pre-season accolades, viral content, a star turn in EA Sports’ NCAA Football, and hopefully a Heisman push from the athletic department. While this storyline will not play out in message board practice reports and in beat reporter copy, it is one of the most exciting elements of Mizzou’s 2024 offseason.</p>
<h2 id="XXdjZQ"><strong>5. Spring Transfer Portal Window</strong></h2>
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<cite>Photo by John Bunch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</cite>
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<p id="K0Zydw">Eli Drinkwitz has chosen to run spring practice early again this season; while a cold-weather spring game might not generate as much attendance as a warm-weather affair, the choice is purely a strategic one. Finishing practice early allows more roster clarity on which players will depart in the second portal window, and gives the staff ample time to recruit their replacements. Keep your ear to the ground during spring ball to avoid being surprised when a player who falls behind in his position battle decides to leave after the spring.</p>
<p id="2TX1UV">Expect Missouri to be portal shopping for a backup quarterback and some secondary depth, and you can always use more bodies on both the lines. Some new needs might arise in camp: tight end still looks fairly shallow, left guard is an open battle, and both specialists are being replaced. While position battles might be won or lost in spring, some might give the staff clarity on going back to the drawing board entirely in the spring portal. </p>
https://www.rockmnation.com/2024/2/22/24077882/missouri-football-spring-camp-topics-2024Dan Keegan2024-02-13T07:00:00-06:002024-02-13T07:00:00-06:00Nick Bolton and the Champion Chiefs
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<figcaption>Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Former Mizzou great linebacker Nick Bolton again led the way at the Kansas City Chiefs won their second straight Super Bowl. Let’s look back on the night in Vegas.</p> <p id="Nt6sw0">The <a href="https://www.arrowheadpride.com">Kansas City Chiefs</a> won <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/super-bowl">Super Bowl</a> LVIII in dramatic fashion, mounting another furious comeback and cementing their recent run of success as a dynasty worthy of inclusion with the NFL’s greatest. A portion of Missouri’s fanbase is thrilled with the result for their hometown gridiron gang, but all Tiger faithful — even those who do not count themselves among the KC partisans — are happy with the result, thanks to the two Mizzou legends on the roster.</p>
<p id="vHmqAM">The first is middle linebacker Nick Bolton, who led the game in tackles with 13 (five solo), finishing as the top tackler for a second straight Super Bowl. Bolton was everywhere on Sunday, but did not have <a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/2023/2/13/23598013/recapping-nick-bolton-super-bowl-chiefs-missouri-tigers-football-fumble-touchdown">as eventful a game as last season, when he scored one return touchdown and had another called back. </a></p>
<p id="pVnyPR">Honestly, it is probably a good thing that despite all of his box score-stuffing ways he is flying under the radar, because if San Francisco had pulled out the victory, Bolton might have been one of the goats. (Not GOATs.) Pass coverage has not been his strong suit throughout his career, but it has been especially bad this season and cratered in recent weeks. Kyle Shanahan’s gameplan attacked Bolton in coverage, and he gave up seven catches on all seven targets, for 101 yards allowed with four first downs and a touchdown too.</p>
<p id="7CoIbq">The Niners run a lot of tight formations and attack the middle of the field with their versatile skill corps, and they picked on Bolton badly when they found him in coverage. But Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo turned the Niners’ unique alignments against them, using the junked up middle of the field to bring creative blitzes from his secondary. Bolton’s strengths as a player unlock that defensive design, as his superb run discipline and tackling allow Spagnuolo to go deep into his bag of creative pressures. </p>
<p id="Eom56Y">While Bolton does have one glaring weakness on the field, there is no denying his excellence as a leader, a thinker, and a teammate. He became a team captain last year in only his second year in the league. Whenever Spagnuolo finds himself with a microphone in his face, he takes the time to praise his middle linebacker’s leadership, poise, and football IQ. Bolton is truly a quarterback for the defense, and makes all of Spags’ famously complicated blitzes possible. He is not a perfect player, but for the second year in a row, the Chiefs have a Super Bowl ring and would not have won it without his contributions.</p>
<p id="ktzZ6Q">The second Mizzou Tiger to win a piece of jewelry last night was quarterback Blaine Gabbert, now a two-time world champion. Unlike Bolton, the Chiefs <em>absolutely</em> could have won the big one without Gabbert. Sorry, it’s true. Brett Gabbert could have been the Chiefs' #2 QB this year and they would have been just fine. </p>
<p id="6Jkr3U">Enjoying Bolton’s playoff runs the last two seasons has been a blast, but it also has me feeling a little wistful for the days when Mizzou players dotted the entire NFL scene. The stars of the 2013 offensive line are slowly winking out of the league, and while Tyler Badie and Larry Rountree III have popped on and off of rosters, it has mostly been a barren few years for pro prospects. </p>
<p id="wRrANd">That all will change this upcoming season, as Mizzou could have multiple first-round draft picks and should have multiple players that project to be contributors on Sundays. And it does not stop there, as Luther Burden III has a chance to be the top receiver in the 2025 draft, with more teammates joining him. While the last few years have been dry, the Mizzou pipeline will be flowing again.</p>
<p id="3Duj1J">Congrats to Nick Bolton on another career highlight. It has been a joyous start to his NFL career, and he is rapidly becoming one of the bigger names in the league and one of the brightest stars on the Chiefs. But those roses were not without thorns, as the Niners effectively attacked Bolton’s weakness and also gave us a reminder of what we have been missing from Mizzou alumni recently. But Nick got the last laugh as he hoisted another Lombardi trophy, and maybe soon some other Tigers will join him on that stage. </p>
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https://www.rockmnation.com/missouri-tigers-football/2024/2/13/24071421/nick-bolton-missouri-tigers-football-and-the-super-bowl-champion-kansas-city-chiefsDan Keegan2024-02-06T07:00:00-06:002024-02-06T07:00:00-06:00Ranking 2024 Transfers Impact Potential
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<img alt="NCAA Football: Appalachian State at North Carolina" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9jUbZ1Rgj9spAiatGLKOO-6eaEI=/0x0:4708x3139/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73115320/usa_today_21383678.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>With nine new veterans in the fold for spring practice, lets rank them by potential impact they will have on the field in the 2024 season</p> <p id="1AMLII">Last week was all about the departing seniors, as the pro prospects who shaped Missouri’s 2024 season went and starred in their showcase draft prep games. (Seriously, how fun has it been reading all the love for legendary Tiger Darius Robinson?)</p>
<p id="U8UJA4">But spring ball will be here before we know it, so let’s take a look at — and rank — the potential impact that these nine veteran newcomers will have on the field this fall. If you asked me to rank by long-term potential, the list would look a little different. After all, three players (Noel, Carroll, and Flagg) will only be in Columbia for one season each, meanwhile some, like, McClellan and Smith, have incredible blue-chip recruiting profiles to tap into as they blossom as Tigers.</p>
<p id="tTID8o"><strong>1.) Left tackle Cayden Green — </strong>Missouri’s transfer class will be relied upon to fill some massive shoes, and no one has as singular an assignment as Cayden Green replacing Javon Foster at left tackle. Other positions have multiple options or a rotation of veterans; Green will be on a high-profile island replacing Foster as a run-game key and protecting Brady Cook’s blind side. Foster was magnificent for three years, and this year he was both Mizzou’s best run blocker AND best pass protector according to PFF grading. Green was, well, green as a true freshman in Norman, but will continue to mature in Columbia as he works with position coach Brandon Jones. Green has the kind of recruiting pedigree and early track record to indicate he can blossom into a capable Foster replacement starting this fall. </p>
<p id="6KDbQ3"><strong>2.) Running back Nate Noel — </strong>I am very high on Nate Noel’s ability to be a game-changing runner for Mizzou in his lone year in Columbia. Noel is a game breaker, and has proven himself to be one of the best backs in the country on a per-carry basis during his time in Boone. He brings big play speed in a way that was sometimes missing with Schrader: Mizzou’s run game finished only 88th in explosiveness. Noel’s injury history hints that he won’t be able to replace Schrader’s workman-like role, but he will have a major impact on the team by adding a new big-play wrinkle to the field. </p>
<p id="S7qwMJ"><strong>3.) Cornerback Toriano Pride —</strong> Like Joseph Charleston, Mizzou’s first defensive back transfer from Clemson, Pride projects to slot immediately into a starting role and make a major impact. With the loss of Kris Abrams-Draine and Ennis Rakestraw to the NFL, Mizzou will have to replace arguably the best cornerback tandem in school history. Pride can’t replace both, but his overall profile suggests he will be able to contribute star-level play on the perimeter immediately — and Missouri will need him to do so. </p>
<p id="i2ldKS"><strong>4.) Middle linebacker Corey Flagg — </strong>I like Chuck Hicks, I really do. By all accounts, he is a great leader for the team and his ability to battle back from so many injuries is inspiring. But there were times against high major opponents that #30 didn’t look like he belonged on the field, either in making tackles against the run or in coverage. If Corey Flagg can step in and play at a Chad Bailey in 2022 level, that will go a long way to firming up the middle of the Missouri defense. </p>
<p id="aRGN2o"><strong>5.) Running back Marcus Carroll – </strong>Mizzou’s other fifth-year Sun Belt East running back had a slightly different story at his first stop in college ball. While Nate Noel has shown since 2020 that he is a game-changer when healthy, Carroll mostly waited in the wings for three years while other ballcarriers got a chance. That changed in 2023, when he had a Schrader-like breakout season as a workhorse, finishing tough drives and closing out wins for Georgia State. Carroll will get the first crack at replicating The Shredder’s tough running, and he has the experience with zone-blocking schemes to provide a reasonable facsimile. </p>
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<p id="jA2UZ1">I’m going to do this next batch of defensive line transfers as a set, by position. </p>
<p id="ttQkQA"><strong>6&7) Interiors Chris McLellan and Sterling Webb – </strong>There are plenty of opportunities for big bodies to make an impact in the defensive interior rotation after the losses of Jayden Jernigan, Josh Landry, and Realus George. Mizzou will be much younger at this position next year, as a pair of juniors arrive to compete with their own in-house prospects. This room has a lot of upside, and not a lot of proven commodities after Kristian Williams. Webb flashed real interior pass-rushing skills at New Mexico State; if that skillset can translate to the SEC then he will be a serious hidden gem for this team. If I had to guess, I would venture that Webb will finish with a few more pass-rushing statistics like sacks and pressures than McClellan, but the Florida transfer will have a bigger impact on the field thanks to his space-eating and gap-filling ways. He is primed for a breakout season under Al Davis’ tutelage.</p>
<p id="PtOwoi"><strong>8&9) EDGEs Zion Young and Darris Smith – </strong>This pair is the biggest unknown for how they will impact the 2024 team, in my opinion, but that is fine because they are also stepping in to the most well-stocked position room of all of the groups listed here. Johnny Walker Jr will be one of Missouri’s best players next season, veteran Joe Moore is back, and all-galaxy recruit Williams Nwaneri is joining the gang in the summer. Are Young and Smith going to be depth pieces, like Moore this year or, say, Tre’Vez Johnson was this year at safety? Or will one of them prove to be an instant-impact piece like Kristian Williams and Ty’Ron Hopper were two years ago? </p>
<p id="dWatR8">Young’s role will be more straightforward: he will likely slot into a classic defensive end role, perhaps taking Nyles Gaddy’s snaps, or perhaps more. Smith is an X-factor. He has outside linebacker versatility and could carve out a more unique role, especially if new coordinator Corey Batoon is going to play three linebackers together more often than Blake Baker did. Perhaps there is a Hopper-like havoc machine role in Smith’s future, as an athletic freak, or perhaps he blossoms as a pass-rusher. He also left the Georgia team last year during the middle of the season; so a high-level contribution is by no means a sure thing as he looks to restart his career. </p>
<p id="E1Qce2">Mizzou’s winter portal class is full of high-upside players, some proven, some with work to do to establish themselves in the SEC. It’s a class ready to drive the team towards the goal of “why stop now?” and with many of the 2023 “something to prove” group moving on, there will be plenty of opportunities for this batch of nine players to make their mark on the 2024 season. </p>
https://www.rockmnation.com/2024/2/6/24063030/missouri-football-eli-drinkwitz-ranking-2024-transfers-impact-potentialDan Keegan2024-01-31T07:00:00-06:002024-01-31T07:00:00-06:00Three By Three: The Coaching Carousel
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<img alt="Syndication: Tuscaloosa News" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rxUqXDJUtkOQj9E5jKdApAnlwi4=/0x208:3061x2249/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73099812/usa_today_22283744.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption>
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<p><em>Presenting the 3x3, sharing three things of note each about Mizzou football, in the SEC slate, and around the CFB nation at large. This week’s theme: the offseason coaching cycle.</em></p> <p id="5h4myC">Welcome to an offseason installment of the Three by Three — the coaching carousel! Allow me to be your college football sherpa, guiding you through the intrigue of the sport topic by topic. I will try to avoid just covering the big obvious stuff, but sometimes the GOAT retiring from a blue blood program is the most interesting thing, you know?</p>
<p id="rnkZjV">Each time out I will highlight three storylines each from Missouri’s offseason, in the SEC, and around the nation. Let’s get to it.</p>
<h2 id="oYXK73"><strong>Mizzou</strong></h2>
<p id="khPdEi"><strong>Defensive Coordinator Corey Batoon</strong></p>
<p id="hHrzm9"> For a few weeks it looked like Eli Drinkwitz would manage to keep his entire assistant staff intact despite a wildly successful season. There were headlines about extensions, and gifs posted on twitter, but ultimately Blake Baker decided to ply his trade in the bayou for Brian Kelly. It makes sense: LSU is one of the sport’s premiere programs in terms of on-field talent and coaching paychecks, Baker has ties to the area and the program, and Mizzou’s defense will be rebuilding after losing a horde of playmakers to the NFL. </p>
<p id="x2YfE2">Enter Corey Batoon from South Alabama. Batoon is a veteran coach with SEC experience who was at the helm for a successful three-year stint in Mobile as Kane Wommack’s defensive coordinator. The Jaguars had some of the best defenses in the Group of Five, and consistently churned out stars like CB Darrell Luter, safety Jaden Voisin, a dominant nose in Wy’Kevious Thomas, and nickel Yam Banks. The latter was one of the biggest names in the Sun Belt, and not just because he had the coolest actual name. He was a havoc machine, and I predict a stat-stuffing year for Daylan Carnell in the Yam Banks role in 2024. </p>
<p id="kZUpm2"><strong>Offensive Line Coach Brandon Jones</strong></p>
<p id="iCsVYn">Baker got the money from LSU, and Kirby Moore got the adoration of the joyous fanbase, but offensive line coach Brandon Jones might have been Eli Drinkwitz’s most impactful hire in Columbia. He molded an offensive line that was one of the worst in FBS in 2022 into a Joe Moore Award finalist. His young charges dominated good fronts like Tennessee and Kentucky, and held serve against some of the absolute best in the sport against Georgia and Ohio State. But the work is not complete: the left side of the line will need to be rebuilt. Center Connor Tollison has come a long way from getting annihilated by Alcorn State, but his snapping still has some obvious warts that need to be addressed. And quality depth will need to be developed: Mizzou is unlikely to receive the same impeccable health from the five big uglies that they enjoyed last season.</p>
<p id="RXPdUt"><strong>To Be Determined Defensive Line (Edges) Coach</strong> </p>
<p id="NvMAix">Missouri still needs to round its staff with a defensive line coach for the edges, after Kevin Peoples left alongside Baker. Peoples did a fine job in 2023, earning the Broyles Award nomination for the staff. His replacement will have an interesting set of pieces. Johnny Walker, Jr looks like a budding star, and all-galaxy recruit Williams Nwaneri should be ready to play some significant ball as a true freshman. New transfers Zion Young and Darris Smith have potential, and veteran returnees like Joe Moore and Austin Firestone could improve. This is a high ceiling group, and hopefully the new hire is able to make this room reach their game breaking potential. </p>
<h2 id="Ba53f3"><strong>In the SEC </strong></h2>
<p id="fyAxBz"><strong>Alabama – Co-defensive coordinators Kane Wommack and Maurice Linguist </strong></p>
<p id="wP3VIE">I am fascinated by the Alabama coaching change. Shocking, I know. Nick Saban dominated the sport so thoroughly, for so long, that people kind of forgot what a mess that school can still be sometimes. I don’t think that will happen under Kalen DeBoer – he is too good of a ball coach, simply put. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb also made the trip to Tuscaloosa with DeBoer, one year later than Saban wanted. That side of the ball will be good. But will the defense? Will Wommack’s familiarity in the south let a largely far-from-home Bama staff remain a nuclear weapon in recruiting? What happens if Bama slips from a top one recruiting team to a top….six rank? Top 12? And what are the big-picture ramifications for Group of Five football that two sitting head coaches – that were not on any kind of hot seat at Buffalo and South Alabama – took co-coordinator jobs on a first-year staff? </p>
<p id="yfb0Th"><strong>Arkansas – Offensive Coordinator Bobby Petrino</strong></p>
<p id="HddcOf">For the second year in a row, an SEC coach on the hot seat is turning over the reins of his offense to Bobby Petrino in order to save the program. Sam Pittman must be paraphrasing Tobias Funke: “It didn’t work for Jimbo Fisher…..but it might work for me.” Arkansas is going to look a lot different in 2024, following the departures of KJ Jefferson and Rocket Sanders. Pittman is portal shopping again, and the whole thing feels like a desperation attempt, an inside straight draw. So why bring in someone who will be gunning for your job and the irrational portions of the Hog fanbase* will be more than happy to hand it to?</p>
<p id="cmXmm2"><em>*Potentially redundant</em></p>
<p id="cIzaHr"><strong>Texas A&M – Head Coach Mike Elko</strong></p>
<p id="1PI4Oa">Missouri is lucky that the two most talented rosters on the 2024 schedule will both be undergoing seismic level coaching shifts. Texas A&M has finally turned the page from the depressing Jimbo Fisher Era, hiring Jimbo’s old defensive coordinator Mike Elko. The program has been stockpiling talent, but that was never the problem in College Station. Will Elko create the kind of alignment that was missing in Austin for their own disappointing decade, now in line under the leadership of Steve Sarkisian? How crippling is it for A&M to reignite their rivalry in a Year Zero while the Longhorns will be peaking under Sark’s fourth season? </p>
<h2 id="ZmTI65"><strong>Around the Nation</strong></h2>
<p id="dMG0aE"><strong>USC – Defensive Coordinator D’Anton Lynn</strong></p>
<p id="ZECTpk">Lynn is a rising star, and quietly performed one of the best single-season turnarounds last year in college football, equivalent to the life Kirby Moore injected into Mizzou’s moribound offense: his UCLA Bruins defense rose from 89th in defensive SP+ to 17th in his first year in Westwood. Unfortunately for Chip Kelly, he will be making the move to the Big Ten with the crosstown rival Trojans instead, a tremendous poach hire for Lincoln Riley’s shaky program. If Lynn is able to craft a similar skyrocket for USC, he wiull be on everyone’s short list for a head coach spot, and USC will be in the playoff.</p>
<p id="czT3sN"><strong>Ohio State — Offensive Coordinator Bill O’Brien</strong></p>
<p id="NpiWoJ">Another Big Ten title contender team in need of signs of life to appease a fanbase – except the Buckeyes made the opposite of Riley’s inspired hire. Ryan Day turns over his fleet of playmakers to Bill O’Brien, whose head shot appears in the dictionary if you look up the word “retread.” Ohio State has turned it up to 11 with NIL and in the portal – hell hath no fury like a blueblood fanbase scorned – and maybe the talent on this roster will be so overwhelming as to nullify a dime-a-dozen hire. Ryan Day is literally staking his job on it. </p>
<p id="jDGa8i"><strong>The Top of the Sun Belt</strong></p>
<p id="VWS4yC">It wouldn’t be a 3x3 if I didn’t sneak in some words about the Sun Belt or a service academy, would it? No major shake ups this year for Army, Navy, or Air Force one year removed from an offseason of turbulence, so let’s take a look at the top of the Sun Belt, where Troy and James Madison have each won their divisions both of the past two seasons but now must replace those remarkably successful staffs. Both schools hired young offensive coordinators: Troy poached Gerard Parker from Notre Dame, who spent his sole season calling plays for the Domers realizing he should just hand the ball off to Audric Estime. James Madison went with the exciting hire, Bobby Chesney from FCS Holy Cross, who has been compiling some really fun offenses in the Patriot League. Will these programs maintain their excellence with new leadership, or will the door open for this deep league – 12 out of 14 teams bowled last year – to have a new power emerge? </p>
https://www.rockmnation.com/2024/1/31/24055243/three-by-three-the-coaching-carousel-missouri-football-sec-corey-batoonDan Keegan2024-01-23T07:00:00-06:002024-01-23T07:00:00-06:00Revisiting Trends in Drinkwitz’s Portal Usage
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<figcaption>Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Last spring we examined some of the big-picture ways that Drinkwitz manages the portal to augment his roster with veterans. Let’s see how that has evolved in the 2024 offseason.</p> <p id="5FO1qC">Around this time last offseason, <a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/missouri-football-recruiting/2023/4/14/23682743/missouri-trends-eli-drinkwitz-transfer-portal-recruiting-mizzou-football">I penned a story compiling some of the trends in Eli Drinkwitz’s usage of the transfer portal.</a> With Mizzou’s work in the first portal window of this year mostly wrapped up in advance of spring ball, today we will revisit those conclusions and see how this year’s class of veteran newcomers fits in with Drink’s previous program building.</p>
<p id="yJA9iW">In last year’s piece, I identified two things: Missouri’s coaching staff had a clear preference for Power Five players, and especially targeted players with multiple years of eligibility. In previous portal shopping trips, the eligibility factor was critical. The staff was building the roster through the portal, not just patching it over; veteran players who transferred in could not leave again without either sitting a year or graduating. But that rule has been challenged in court, and is no longer a guarantee in the NCAA’s bylaws. </p>
<p id="yugOVo">The trend of mostly power program transfers continues –- a third of this year’s class is from the Group of Five, mostly in line with nine of the previous 31 transfers from the lower levels of college football. </p>
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<p id="PMBeGT"><em>(Note: I am not counting specialists or preferred walk-ons in this accounting, even if those walk-ons do end up becoming All-SEC tailbacks.)</em></p>
<p id="FMBON7">Missouri has had four portal offseasons. In three of them, they dropped down to the smaller schools mostly to plug roster holes with multiple players at the same position. See:</p>
<p id="aV1Zd7"><strong>2021: </strong>Akayleb Evans and Allie Green, a ready-made cornerback tandem from Tulsa brought in to solidify a young secondary.</p>
<p id="kYHe10"><strong>2023: </strong>Marcellus Johnson and Cam’Ron Johnson, offensive linemen from the Group of Five, to improve 2022’s beleaguered unit. </p>
<p id="Fe7JNQ"><strong>2024: </strong>Marcus Carroll and Nathaniel Noel, productive fifth-year Sun Belt running backs to restock a room rife with opportunity</p>
<p id="cxAgIJ">Other than those restocks, there have been only a few players from outside of the power conferences brought in for depth: 2021’s LB Blaze Alldredge and OL Connor Wood, the Bence Polgar/Tyler Stephens duo from Buffalo in 2022, DE Nyles Gaddy in 2023, and STL native Sam Webb’s homecoming in 2024. While other SEC programs grab these scratcher tickets every offseason – thinking about South Carolina and Arkansas – Missouri has mostly preferred talents who have been scouted and played at the Power Five level. </p>
<p id="3ytJHf">But while Missouri’s pattern of where to get veterans from has remained the same, one thing is new for 2024: Missouri’s breakthrough 2023 season on the field has led to a sharp uptick in the evaluation pedigree of the transfers the team has signed. </p>
<p id="xENCJ2">In the three previous portal seasons, nine out of Missouri’s 31 incoming transfers had been ranked as a 4- or 5-star in On3’s evaluation service. Only one, Ty’Ron Hopper from Florida, also earned blue chip status as his transfer grade. </p>
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<p id="wJImG2">Enter the 2024 class: with nine total scholarship transfers in the mix from the early window, four were blue-chip prospects coming out of high school in On3, and four are considered blue-chip transfers. From one out of 31 of the most well-regarded players on the market, to four out of nine fitting that bill. Drinkwitz and his program have elevated their talent acquisition: Missouri has risen from 46th in 247’s overall team talent rating for the 2021 season to 25th for 2023, and the coming rating will likely be the highest ever for the program.</p>
<p id="kFZ4K1">But where do these players come from? Has Mizzou’s talent risen enough to break through and stay with the sport’s elite? Another trend I wanted to unpack was based on a question posed by a member of the Rock M readership: did the Tigers poach more from the blue bloods this off-season than previously? The hypothesis is that Mizzou’s 11-win season elevated them in the eyes of transfers from blue blood programs and, thus, you would see the Tigers collect more talent in the portal from those schools.</p>
<p id="9exTnj">I identified 12 programs that dominate college football’s elite talent acquisition, the schools with an average rank in the top 11 of 247’s team talent score over the past four seasons: Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Clemson, LSU, Texas A&M, Texas, Oklahoma, Oregon, USC, Notre Dame, and Florida. </p>
<p id="WBiOGn">In the previous three offseasons, eight out of Mizzou’s 31 transfers were from these 12 programs. In this offseason, four out of nine. An uptick in percentage for sure, but the sample size is small enough, and the sources of talent broad enough, that I would avoid drawing a sweeping conclusion. </p>
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<p id="QZKJli">Interestingly enough, Miami sits just outside the cutoff, averaging the 13.75th most talented rosters since 2020. The Tigers have taken one erstwhile Hurricane in each portal season – George, Clarke, Garcia, Flagg.</p>
<p id="d8XmeY">The conclusion I will draw, however, is that the portal and NIL era is not a death knell to non-blue-blood college football programs. The fear that the new structure would cause an upward flow of even more talent to the sport’s wealthiest institutions is unfounded; in fact, it might be the opposite. True money is made in the NFL, and you can not prove your worth to the league riding the pine at Georgia. Robust NIL programs have allowed schools like Missouri, Colorado, and Ole Miss to take a step forward in roster building. </p>
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<p id="RVht69"><em><strong>Editor’s Note: </strong></em><em>Thank you to Larry Van Dyne for reaching out with this story idea. If you have any ideas you’d like to send our way, be sure to visit the </em><a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/masthead"><em>masthead page</em></a><em> and email Sam, Josh or Karen with any pitches.</em></p>
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https://www.rockmnation.com/2024/1/23/24047382/mizzou-football-revisiting-trends-eli-drinkwitz-transfer-portal-usageDan Keegan